Roofs for motor vehicles may be provided with a sliding roof. A roof element, also called a cover, in this case is either able to close a roof opening in a closed position of the cover or at least partially open said roof opening in further positions. For controlling the movement of the roof element, a raising mechanism is provided. The raising mechanism is coupled firstly to the roof element and secondly to a carriage. The carriage is guided in a rail which is arranged in the vehicle roof.
In the event of an accident, in particular in the event of a front impact, i.e. a collision with an obstruction in the direction of travel, it is possible that the roof element is accelerated to such an extent that the coupling between the roof element and the guide rail is too weak in order to retain the roof element. The roof element may be released, therefore, from the vehicle roof. To prevent such an acceleration of the roof element, safety brake devices are disclosed, for example, in EP 1 905 631 A1. These safety brake devices are attached to the carriage and jam the carriage to the rail in the event of an abrupt acceleration of the roof element.
It is desirable to specify an arrangement for a movable roof element as well as a system for a movable roof element which permits a reliable coupling of the roof element to a rail, in particular even in the event of an accident. For example, it is desirable to permit a reliable coupling as an alternative or in addition to a safety brake device.